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Floyd Little elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — When he heard his name, and football immortality was finally his, Floyd Little released 30 years of frustration with a dramatic plunge.

Little fell forward and kept falling until he hit the floor in the green room, otherwise known on this day as the Pro Football Hall of Fame holding pen.

The former Broncos running back and the franchise's first star then rolled over, looked up to the ceiling and raised his arms. Not a bad reaction for someone 67 years old.

"I waited in the room for almost an hour," Little said. "The emotions were just so much. The anxiety — when they came and got Charles Haley out of (the green room), he didn't make it — it was just so draining for me."

Hall of Fame

When Little retired in 1975 after his entire nine-year career with the Broncos, he had been named to five Pro Bowls, won an NFL rushing title and back-to-back AFC rushing titles, and was the NFL's seventh- leading all-time rusher.

The first six on the rushing list had long since been inducted into the Hall of Fame. And none of them — not Jim Brown, not Jim Taylor, not O.J. Simpson — had to play with an average of nearly three quarterbacks a season and an ever- revolving offensive line that had produced zero Pro Bowl appearances.

So why did 30 years of Hall of Fame eligibility elapse before Little finally heard his name announced here Saturday at the Super Bowl XLIV media center? The answer may have inadvertently come from America's most famous curmudgeon.

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"Denver's out West somewhere, isn't it?" Andy Rooney of "60 Minutes" fame said from the Hall of Fame news conference audience.

Bias against Broncos?

Rooney was joking, of course, and quickly added the Broncos are respected throughout the country as one of the NFL's strongest teams. Yet, the only players who played the bulk of their careers in Denver and received the league's ultimate individual honor are Little and John Elway.

"If I were a (New York) Jet and had the same career I had, I would have been in a long time ago," Little said.

After his news conference here on the NFL Network, Little received a phone call from Broncos owner Pat Bowlen. In a statement, Bowlen said: "Although his playing career with the Broncos took place before my time with the team, I am well aware of what Floyd Little means to this franchise, city and league. Aside from his stellar play on the field, he helped make the Broncos relevant in the NFL and strengthened the bond between this team and its fans. He has waited a long time for this honor, and I couldn't be happier for him."

Bowlen was less diplomatic upon learning that Shannon Sharpe won't be joining Little for the formal induction ceremonies in August. Although Sharpe retired as the NFL's all-time leader for tight ends in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns, and earned three Super Bowl rings with two teams, he was not included among the five modern-era players for the class of 2010.

Like last year, Sharpe made the cut to the final 10 candidates, but the five modern-era spots went to San Francisco receiver Jerry Rice, Dallas running back Emmitt Smith, Minnesota defensive tackle John Randle, Washington offensive guard Russ Grimm and New Orleans linebacker Rickey Jackson.

"I'm disappointed, but only five guys made it, so there are a lot of other guys who are as disappointed, if not more disappointed, than I am," Sharpe said. "It doesn't make it any easier, though."

Maybe next year, when Deion Sanders is the only first-time eligible candidate who figures to be a cinch for the class of 2011.

It appears that in part because Rice and Smith were considered automatic, the 44-member voting committee decided to go away from skill-position players and reward players at other positions. Grimm becomes the first member of the famous "Hogs," the Redskins' offensive line in the 1980s, to make the Hall.

Jackson may have been a sentimental choice with the Saints playing in the Super Bowl today for the first time in franchise history.

Randle was a dominant defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings through the 1990s.

Besides the five modern-era Hall of Famers, former Detroit Lions cornerback Dick LeBeau joined Little as the senior candidates who received at least 80 percent approval for election.

The NFL first announced its five modern-era Hall of Famers. Then it announced Le-Beau. After waiting 30 years, Little had to wait until the very end until his name was called.

It's all right. Thirty years is nothing next to eternity. From August until the end of time, visitors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Museum in Canton, Ohio, can see a bronze bust of Little, the Broncos' first star player. Has Little given that any thought?

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